They came legally in an effort to bolster Springfield's economy. From Wikipedia:

> As new businesses opened and a labor shortage emerged,[21][23] Haitian immigrants began arriving in Springfield around 2017 to work in local produce-packaging and machining factories.[24] By 2020, Springfield's economy had somewhat rebounded; new employers had added some 8,000 jobs, adding to the labor shortage.[25][26][27][28] Employers encouraged Haitians to continue coming to the city to fill jobs in warehouses, manufacturing, and the service sector. Haitians in the United States, Haiti, and South America heard from family and friends about Springfield, its low cost of living, and its need for workers. Immigration increased substantially after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, coinciding with deepening political and economic instability in Haiti after the assassination of the president in 2021.[21][24] By 2024, some 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants, many Haitian, had legally moved to the Springfield area.[29][30][21][31] In June 2024,[32] ongoing crises and severe violence in the Caribbean nation of Haiti led the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to grant temporary protected status to Haitian immigrants,[33] allowing the existing migrant population in the U.S. to live and work *without the risk of deportation*

Haiti has a Level 4 "DO NOT TRAVEL" advisory from the State Dept. It is extremely unsafe to go there and has been for many years.

[^0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_pet-eating_hoax